Summary:The 2018 season sees the return of the French Grand Prix for the first time since 2008, at the Circuit Paul Ricard, which last hosted the French Grand Prix in 1990. The German Grand Prix also returns to the Championship after not featuring last year, with the Hockenheimring hosting the raceThe 2018 season sees the return of the French Grand Prix for the first time since 2008, at the Circuit Paul Ricard, which last hosted the French Grand Prix in 1990. The German Grand Prix also returns to the Championship after not featuring last year, with the Hockenheimring hosting the race in July. F1 2018 features all of the official teams, the drivers and circuits of the 2018 season. [Codemasters]…Expand

F1 2018 is brilliant, and the most complete Formula One game to date. The changes to career mode make it the strongest and most appealing it’s ever been thanks to the revamped upgrade system, while the simulation-like additions to the driving model bring you closer than ever to the feeling of sitting on the grid with 1000+ horsepower at your feet, without overwhelming those who just want to jump in and drive.

F1 2018 features the finest handling and force feedback for a dedicated F1 game to date, some welcome visual improvements, and a career mode that does a better job than ever at capturing the nuances of the world’s most-popular motorsport.

Firstly let me take this moment to congratulate Codemasters on what is the best looking F1 game ever. Visually stunning, graphically awesome,Firstly let me take this moment to congratulate Codemasters on what is the best looking F1 game ever. Visually stunning, graphically awesome, ok the real drivers aren’t perfect but is close. But for me it’s the gameplay that takes the crown. So the game opens with you picking your driver, trying to pick someone who likes me, always fun, from face, helmet, then name and nationality. Then the menu screen. Forget the rest and pick career mode. This is where like all the critics have raved about the biggest improvements on last years. And let me say this, you will want to play all 3 practice sessions ok. Let me explain. You are given little challenges to complete and in the process get yourself up the leaderboard and get that number one spot. Then qualifying, oh wow it’s a one shot one lap shootout, but the great thing is the lead car is a ghost, say it could be Vettel or Hamilton, or anyone for that matter, beat the ghost car in one lap you've bagged pole position. And just to note for those new to this, well there isn’t many of us new to it when it comes watching this great sport but playing it is a very different animal. Just start on beginner and go from there. To sum it up, the greatest F1 game ever made.…Expand

Absolutely nails the two main categories for me: gameplay and graphics. I wouldn't say I'm a hardcore sim racer but the handling feelsAbsolutely nails the two main categories for me: gameplay and graphics. I wouldn't say I'm a hardcore sim racer but the handling feels amazing. You really notice the tyre performance change depending on wear/rain. Speaking of rain, the dynamic weather adds to the already top notch graphics. After rain you'll notice the sun shine through onto the track & grandstands just a little bit more each lap.
Plenty of game modes as well so replayability is high.
I'm yet to play online so can't comment on that. Keen for it though.

The only flaws I see are in the inconsequential stuff in career mode, like in the interviews you don't even have time to read the responses let alone choose one. & the animations are all the same before each session.

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view.
What a game. I haven't had this much fun with a driving/racing sim since Gran Turismo 1 and 2. I never previously touched an F1 title, but I've been a patron of Codemasters' rally games since they first started producing them. Recently, for whatever reason, I developed an urge to play something that didn't involve the usual lot of GT and production vehicles. Having now played through an entire season calendar, I'd strongly recommend F1 2018 to anybody keen on driving/racing sims.

As one who's usually only interested in reading the negative aspects of a game, I'll skip to my list of [minor] cons based on version 1.14. Note that despite these cons, it's a highly enjoyable sim and a worthy purchase.

- Some textures appear fuzzy, taking a second or two to load properly. Some textures appear fuzzy and stay that way. This is not obtrusive nor immersion-breaking. The most obvious examples are certain sponsor logos.

- Career mode settings cannot be readjusted after commencing a new career (to my knowledge). This includes difficulty level. You might wish you had this ability when attempting Monaco's infamous Circuit de Rage Quit. Conversely, you might wish you had this ability when it becomes apparent that the game is too easy, three race weekends in.

- Cutscene animations are reused over, and over, and over. Although they can be skipped, this may break immersion and make for a slightly less exciting experience.

- Certain cutscene animations make no sense. Example: Vettel fist pumping after finishing 7th. Neither he nor his teammate won a podium spot, and both his driver and constructor standings dropped. So, what exactly is he celebrating?

- Procurement. I like that certain vehicle parts fail randomly (or predictably, depending on one's perspective). What I don't like is that I'm somehow responsible for procuring spares. It's an aspect of the game for which I have zero interest. I get that in a true driving/racing sim, I'm going to have some involvement in maintenance with regards to mitigating wear and tear. But, I'm ultimately a driver - not a purchasing officer. Let somebody else handle it.

- Blame. Why am I being scolded like a petulant child by some corporate skirt? I was leading by a gap of more than 10 seconds in the final lap before my car's quantum discombobulator decided to crap itself - causing me to finish last. Maybe if she'd hired a qualified purchasing officer, incidents like this would seldom occur.

- You can rewind and redo that corner so that you'll live to drive a couple hundred yards before crashing into the next one, but you can't rewind and redo botched contract negotiations. Currently, the only solution is to restart the game before it saves.

- The penalty to one's reputation level with their team for choosing the wrong answer during a press interview is sometimes too severe. The amount of reputation lost in this scenario can equal nearly as much as the amount gained from winning a race. However, press interviews can also be reattempted if the game is restarted before it saves. This technique will not wipe your preceeding race results.

- Carl, the sole mechanic for all F1 teams, only ever recommends the most expensive vehicle upgrade a player can afford. I feel his recommendations should rather be based on telemetry and what is likely to benefit the player most considering their racing style.

- My final con isn't one that can be helped, unfortunately. I'm all for climate stuff and saving whales, but boy do these new hybrid F1 cars sound terrible. I'll save you some effort by saying that Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda have the least annoying sounding ride of the entire 2018 season roster. But, that doesn't mean it sounds good. Every vehicle in the modern line-up sounds like some combination of dying electric shaver, hedge trimmer, vacuum cleaner, blender and vibrator. Luckily, the game lets you drive a variety of historic F1 cars on the side - and most of them sound great. Especially, the 2003 Williams FW25 (available via DLC).…Expand

I've been following the F1 Series closely for a long time and this is a greatly improved game, definitely worth it. The game feels very realI've been following the F1 Series closely for a long time and this is a greatly improved game, definitely worth it. The game feels very real and i can't put it down!…Expand

There's an immediate noticeable difference in driving physics compared to 2017 that's well worth the upgrade (played on a controller with noThere's an immediate noticeable difference in driving physics compared to 2017 that's well worth the upgrade (played on a controller with no assists). ERS adds welcome depth in managing your energy resource through a race (think of it as F1 nitrous), and this time tyres can properly overheat or go cold like you see drivers battle with IRL. Ranked multiplayer is a great addition too, taking notes from GT Sport and iRacing which helps improve the experience all around (as well as region matchmaking).

Hoping there won't be much game breaking bugs. If you are into motorsport games this is a solid pick.…Expand